For 35 years, Richmond hairdresser Rick Bridgforth has been quietly transforming a forgotten alley in The Fan into something remarkable. What began as a way to clean up trash and keep crime at bay grew into a lush oasis that's alive with color, buzzing with...
Would I Lie To You? Mural Walk creator George Tisdale unreliably narrates tours of Richmond's murals. It's more entertaining than you'd think. The Would I Lie To You? Mural Walk showcases some of the most beautiful, and most hidden, murals in and around Richmond, but with a twist. The stories told at each mural could be complete lies, and it is...
The Richmond Tattoo and Arts Festival of 2018 is the oldest tattoo expo in the United States, and the 26th annual edition is set to kick off this weekend. The convention will celebrate getting kicked off its parents’ health insurance in one of the most tatted-up cities in the country, and will feature a myriad of artists from across the state of...
There has been a lot of tension in Richmond recently. Everybody can feel it, everybody knows why. This city has a mess of critical issues to deal with right now: how the police apply lethal force, rapidly accelerating rents and housing costs, and public schools that lack essentials like toilet paper and soap. From a certain perspective,...
It's a long-standing tradition at Richmond's tattoo shops, but what makes someone wait in line for a $13 tattoo? Customers lined up by All-For-One, one of many shops along with Lucky 13 offering specials on Friday the 13th "It's really about the community," one heavily-tattooed visitor tells me. She skipped work to be here, and asks that I not...
Over the past few years, over a dozen tattoo shops have cropped up throughout the growing Broad Street pocket and its surrounding areas -- from high-end boutique shops to budget tattoo joints, members of the Richmond tattoo scene are increasingly rubbing elbows. You might expect that all this competition would be bad for business, but Lucky 13...
"Art shouldn't be hidden. Art should make you think. Art has a tangible value on a community and can bring people together." - R. Anthony Harris After five strong years and achieving its original mission of 100+ murals throughout the city, The Richmond Mural Project (RMP) is scaling back a bit this year and painting one large mural on the VCU...
In 2012, the city officially designated the Broad Street corridor as the Arts and Cultural District of Richmond. However, there was one problem, it wasn't actually overflowing with either. The city had monthly First Fridays, Gallery5, and other small exhibit pop ups of course, but when it came to larger-than-life works of art Richmonders and...
An old piece of stone often holds more meaning than one might suspect, particularly in a city like Richmond. Although stone carved into monuments or statues may generate friction, a great deal more of it can remind us to ruminate on not only our history, but ourselves. On a recent afternoon, a tour guide from The Valentine took RVA Mag on a...
The Richmond Mural Project 2016 is getting underway and we've got about 10 artists to announce, including one very special local muralist to add to the otherwise international crew. The Richmond Mural Project 2016 is getting underway and we've got about 10 artists to announce, including one very special local muralist to add to the otherwise...
